Football 'Player of the Year' shot at east Bakersfield party

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Two teens were shot at a party in east Bakersfield early Sunday. One of them was the Hometown Sports Player of the Year, 18-year-old Kamari Cotton-Moya.

The other, also an 18, was identified as Kolin Jones. He played football for Frontier.

Cotton-Moya was a standout athlete from Ridgeview High, who recently signed to play football for Iowa State on a scholarship.

Jones played for Frontier, but Coach Rich Cornford said he hasn't seen Kolin in almost a year.

"He transferred out," said Cornford. "I think he goes to Ridgeview."

Cornford noted that he had just heard about the incident and was glad to hear that the teens were expected to be OK.

Sheriff's deputies were called to the area of 2200 Edwards Ave. just after midnight, responding to several 911 callers reporting that shots were being fired. Edwards Avenue is off Mt. Vernon Avenue, in a neighborhood a little northeast of Kern Medical Center.

Deputies located a party with approximately 100 people in attendance. According to a department news release, as the crowd dispersed, deputies found several spent shell casings in the roadway. At that point, they were notified that two gunshot victims had arrived at KMC.

The injuries to both are described as not being life-threatening. Cotton-Moya was shot once in the upper body. Jones suffered a gunshot wound to the face and several gunshot wounds to the shoulder. A nursing supervisor at KMC said neither teen is at the hospital. They were likely treated and released.

Jones took to Twitter late Sunday morning and told his followers he's OK: "Everyone im fine, thanks for being concerned. I didnt have my phone so i couldn't text back." (sic)

People who live in the neighborhood where the shooting happened said they did not know either victim and assume they were only there for the party.